Balancing & Clarifying Smoothie Recipe

Acne is an inflammatory condition. Check out why this smoothie can help:

Barberries have been shown to help clear up acne (due to it’s active ingredient, berberine, a compound with anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties) and are very high in anti-oxidants, which have anti-aging benefits as well. If you just want the anti-aging benefits, you can swap the barberries out for goji berries instead, which are another highly potent anti-oxidant berry! Any berry will do though. Berries and their anti-oxidant benefits should be a daily part of your diet.

Why do we love anti-oxidants? Anti-oxidants neutralize free radicals that can cause not only aging, but pore-clogging oxidation. They also accelerate healing and can lessen hyperpigmentation in the skin. Anti-oxidants can be used topically in the form of Vitamin A, B3, C and E, but should also be ingested in the food you eat. Another amazing way to get high dose anti-oxidants is to drink green tea, black tea or white tea regularly — without dairy or sugar of course! Sip on your tea throughout the day or just add whole leaf tea to your smoothie for more benefits.

Flaxseeds are a most-amazing seed that are incredible for your overall wellness. For acne specifically, they can help balance hormones by providing lignans in a higher dose than any other seed or vegetable. They must be ground up to work though, so putting them in your smoothie is perfect. Since acne can be associated with hormone imbalance in women, flax seeds can help even out those irregularities. Lignans have other amazing benefits like providing healthy fat, fiber, blood sugar management, heart health and more. Don’t be afraid to go down the flaxseed rabbit hole and add 1-2 TBSP of flax seeds to your life daily.

There is a ton of healthy fiber in this smoothie and fiber is your microbiome’s favorite food. When your microbiome is happy and gets the whole foods it likes — a rainbow of fruits, veggies, whole grains, seeds, nuts, legumes, etc. — it creates anti-inflammatory compounds that soothe, normalize and bring your body into balance. On the other hand, when you eat foods that lack fiber or are very low in fiber — highly processed foods, dairy, refined sugar, fried foods, etc. — this supports an unhappy gut microbiome that creates inflammatory compounds. This can cause skin conditions, bloating, puffiness, sluggishness, fatigue, and over time can lead to disease. The bottom line is to eat what makes your gut happy, which will in turn reduce inflammation, help eliminate toxins, reduce leaky gut and lower inflammatory responses throughout the body. That is a great thing for acne sufferers.

Common spices available in your cabinet are potent anti-inflammatory superstars. Typically, turmeric, ginger and garlic are the touted as the best-in-class, anti-inflammatory spices since they contain bio-active compounds that inhibit inflammatory pathways in the body. Black pepper helps to aid in nutrient absorption. I just added turmeric, black pepper and ginger for taste , but feel free to experiment with other spices to get not only anti-inflammatory, but anti-oxidant benefits as well! Cardomom, cloves, sage, cayenne, and cinnamon have wonderful anti-inflammatory properties as well and could easily be added to a smoothie, chai or broth.

This smoothie is just one thing you can do to help treat your skin condition, but there are so many factors that come into play with acne — food sensitivities, mental health, genetic predispositions, health conditions, environmental factors and the list goes on! In the end, acne can have many different causes, but generally, it is an indication of imbalance in the body. Figuring out what is imbalanced takes some work. Could your skin care routine be better? Could your diet be better? How’s your mental health? Usually, healing a condition takes detective work and self work. Addressing nutritional needs can often be a good first step. I hope this post helps to inspire you!
Lots of love, Jules